Fall As One
by RuskaSky
Summary: He who made the right choice and yearns for futile oblivion. She who did not know better and has no choices left. When hope crumbles at their feet, unheard screams echo inside their heads and a goddess descends from the future, will they be able to save the world? To save themselves? [AU; also contains Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship and Fantasy]
1. Prologue

****Prologue****

 ** _ **Premonition**_**

Her golden eyes were fixated on the orb in her right palm. Unmoving, not even blinking, they observed the scene within, blurred by a fog which did not manage to obscure the meaning.

 _It occurred in her most precious room. The light dim and sparse, the eyes of another her hazed by smears and tears, all she could make out was a woman before her, clad in blue and with hair as raven as hers was silver. As her counterpart staggered and fell, she lost sight of that wide-eyed woman and instead met the marbled floor. Covered in blood. A handful of steps sounded, faint and dulled through the globe, then a sharp call._

" _Don't come any closer, it's too dangerous!"_

 _The male voice originated from behind her duplicate, and immediately the steps stopped. The vision trembled. A cough which sent more blood sputtering towards the floor._

" _But-!" It had to be the woman's voice, trembling and fearful, and yet radiating with the same power the spectator called her own._

" _No buts! I can't lose you again!"_

 _Her replica roared, blood gurgling from the throat, thrashed around herself and the man behind her cursed. The sound of steel cut through the air,_ _tore through pliable flesh_ _and her double jerked, sending the vision into a ha_ _ze_ _of colors and shapes_ _as everything dimmed._

" _Guys!"_ _Another male voice, but she could not locate its origin, could barely catch the words which drifted into a slur. "We gotta hurry the fuck out of here and make our way back to the Garden-"_

The black tattoos supplanting eyebrows rose slightly as the performance faded, the sphere left empty save for white swirls which caromed off the perimeter to curl around themselves.

A sigh left her maroon lips as she set the item on its opulent pedestal, the talons at her violet fingertips scraping against the material which looked like glass but in fact was none. She leaned back into her throne, a masterpiece of decadence and luxury, red velvet spanned across an upright backrest and seat, golden decorations adorning the frame and arm rests in endless swirls and turns and globes, and allowed for it to caress her slender figure through her tight dress. A smile twisted her tattooed visage.

She was remarkably collected for a woman who had just witnessed her own death. But perfect composure was of the essence for a _god_ _dess_ , and she would not let her foolish emotions cloud her judgment. Sentiments were but a remnant of the past when she had been human. A past long, long forgotten. So instead Ultimecia lifted her claws, snapped her fingers and waited in perfect stillness for the doors – beautiful, enormous constructs high enough to almost touch the ceiling to the endless expanse of her throne room – to swing open.

A small, miserable creature entered before the sound of her summon had ceased, clad in rags and covered in dried blood. It buckled before her, as close to the ground as possible without scraping its head along the marbled floor, until it reached the base of the podium her throne rested upon, eight meters high. "My goddess..." it whimpered, unable to raise its head and meet her cold stare. But it must have peeked up through its lashes nonetheless, for when Ultimecia elongated her arm and pointed at its pathetic stature, it shivered and whined. Tears streamed down its face, pooling down and soiling her palace.

 _That_ was the reason for her to curl her talons, purple and crimson sparks spraying from the gesture, and to send a ball of pure energy towards this foolish thing. It did not even have the time to gasp as the magic surrounded its heart and slowed it. Its blue eyes widened, almost popped out of its head and it began to gurgle, dying sounds leaving its useless throat. "M-my… god—dess… For-gi-"

"Silence." Her voice was velvety steel. She rolled her wrist and drank up the desperation the lowly creature expressed with contorted features, felt in her nerves how its heartbeat fought to pump blood through veins despite the iron-grip her magic pressed against it. With each successful pulse, she increased the pressure until the beating was faint and weak. The head of her slave turned blue, foam smeared across its pleading lips, but she only sneered, holding up her horrible grasp until a final, frail jerk ran through the body before it slumped.

With a flick of her wrist, Ultimecia propelled the corpse aside, burning it to ashes before it could hit one of her ornate pillars supporting the endlessly high ceiling. Seeing the gray particles float through the air, a laugh spilled from her lips, echoing in the empty room, and she threw her head back. Her silver hair, styled into two extravagant horns, pushed against the backrest, her almost fully exposed chest shook as she enjoyed herself quite delectably. But then, the perimeter of her golden eyes caught hold of the inconspicuous orb to her right, and she stilled.

Her death. It was ridiculous, outright ridiculous. Eight hundred years ago, it might have been a feasible outcome, but now, with her powers only ever accelerating, her worshipers and slaves cowering to her feet and the whole _world_ trembling in awe and fear alike, this was merely a farce. She did not even need to take this seriously. Not when she was so close.

And yet, Ultimecia frowned at the sphere within which fog swirled about lazily. Her beautifully handy device had never failed her so far – but then again, she had never seen any need to _interfere_. Time was such a fickle thing. Easily manipulated. Easily distorted. With her weaving the greatest spell in the world's history, altering but this minor event would be naught but a cinch. Indeed, it was _just_ the opportunity for her to test out her newest creation.

Her smirk returned and she snapped her fingers once again.

The next slave entered. It was just as disgusting, just as ordinary, but it did not make a single sound while crawling across the ground, and when it addressed its master, its voice was nothing but devout and submissive. "My goddess has called for my mundane appearance?"

"Fetch me my most loyal pet," Ultimecia ordered.

This object was remarkably well-trained. It simply nodded, squirmed backwards until even the stray strands of its brown, filthy hair left the circumference of her throne room and closed the door. Ultimecia almost felt like rewarding it.

While she waited, her gaze turned to the giant clock above the doors to her residuum. The hands did not move, never have since five hundred years, but she still enjoyed marveling at its immense dimensions, the golden ring and the diamond letters. They caught the sparse moonlight which dipped in through the roof, reflected it in gorgeous glimmers and flickers which danced across Ultimecia and her flawless skin and got caught in the tattoos that covered her legs and abdomen. She arched her back against this light, lips slightly springing open as she basked in it.

Close. She was so, so close. Soon, she would not have to deal with these lowly creatures anymore. She would ascend to something even higher than a god. Take the place that was rightfully hers, as it had always been, escaping this repugnant, vile space which she could never quite form _perfectly_ to her liking. Not with the teeth of time gnawing endlessly, mercilessly. Her eyes darted down to that one spot beneath her right wrist, and she clicked her tongue. Tugged her blood-red sleeve over it.

Exactly eight minutes passed before a metallic roar shook the entire castle. Stucco crumbled from the walls and ceiling, but she easily created a barrier to shield herself from the dirt. She did not need to wait long until the faint, rumbling steps thundered louder and louder, and when the majestic doors swung open and revealed her prized pet, Ultimecia opened her arms.

A monster of light and dark and death neared her on its clawed feet. Despite its mass and the pointed tail it dragged after itself, the only sound it made was the flapping of wings at its upper back. A morbid fusion of a rider and a wild beast, it had four legs, two arms, two mouths – both partially open to exhale steaming breath – and two pairs of red glowing eyes void of any sentiment. The top head, of a triangular shape, twitched restlessly, the horn atop sharp and deadly like a spear and lowered in submission; the lower head, beneath the torso, was a squashed and brutal thing, teeth endlessly gnawing. The moonlight reflected on the silver mythril, was devoured by the black voidil and enhanced the deep blue of the peiril she had fetched from another world.

It was a wonder of creation – _her_ creation. It was a horrific synthesis of two entities forced to become one filled with pain and misery and hate, and it was all hers. The strong arms which had no need for swords but only pure, vigorous magic, laid flat against the torso, wrists crossed devoutly. Each movement was performed quickly and yet with unmistakable pain, and the closer the monstrosity got, the more it lowered its heads, until it finally stood before her, reaching up to her pedestal with ease. Releasing a metallic, dreadful sound, it offered its horn to its master's clawed feet.

"My Omega Weapon," Ultimecia purred as she stepped on the offering with one foot. "So swiftly by my side. So obedient." The lower mouth, remnant of the former beast, panted, and a shred of human skin dangled from teeth that could crush diamonds between them. She laughed. "Oh, and so _greedy_. It was quite a docile variant, too."

Omega Weapon flinched, as much as it could with its body consisting of unearthly material that allowed for no bents and jerks. Armies had fought against her masterpiece without leaving even a scratch. It spread its arms, taloned palms directed downwards, and opened both mouths.

" _God-dess..."_ It was its only word. The only word it would ever need.

Ultimecia howled a laugh. "Oh, my Omega. Do not fret. It was a replaceable item. I will not punish you for feeding on it. The strong devour the weak, and so you shall devour them all. Soon, you can ravish the lands again, crush their last slums and bask in their blood, polishing this perfect armor."

She removed her foot from the horn and the creature looked up with impassive eyes that could not tell the pain, and Ultimecia cradled a cheek the size of her head with her claws, relishing the scraping sound. "Ah. But today, I called you here to watch. You are my grandest creation, and you ought to witness my next divine masterpiece." She leaned over to take the spherical device into her palm again, rubbing one violet digit across the surface. Immediately, the object lit up, colors and shapes swirling before her narrow eyes. A feral sneer lifted the corners of her maroon lips and she whispered a simple command.

While the whirl slowed down, Ultimecia leaned back. The two silver rings at her fingers clacked unpleasantly against the golden arm rests and her pet growled. "I know," Ultimecia uttered with the slightest of frowns. "I hate it, too." She stroked the creation's head in an almost comforting manner and set her gaze back on the object that could grant her every desire, if only she knew how to utilize it correctly.

Of course she did.

"First, we gather our tools..."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_ ** I'm aliiiive! What's even better, this story is, too. And not only is it still alive - it has been reborn. Believe it or not, I spent almost four months working on the plot and its outline, and I finally reached a stage where I am comfortable enough to publish again. I know that for some of you, this might appear tedious; you may think the first few chapters will be exactly like the old version. But I am telling you: They won't. Sure, major elements will remain the same, but there will be a _lot_ of new content, deeper characters and, hopefully, a better style as well. I mean, hey, we're starting off with a prologue you would have never been able to guess from the old version. I regretted not implementing Ultimecia almost immediately, and now I finally have an excuse to do so. Not wanting to spoiler you, but rest assured: She will not be the shallow villain she was in canon.

This prologue may be rather short, but I worked really hard on it, so if you enjoyed it - or if it raised questions, curiosity, anything really - please do leave a review. Even just a word or two makes my day; it shows me you took the time to express your opinion about my humble work and motivates me incredibly much to write more and faster.

I will make no promises on the frequency of updates because that never works - but in this very moment, I am highly pumped for the plot and characters, university is on break until April and my move is more or less done with, so... It's now or never!

~ Ruska


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

This was it. The last day of his peace. And Squall already heard it shatter when the door to the thirty square meter apartment was thrust open and added to the deplorable dent in the white wall with a deafening _bang_. Precious and calming silence was disrupted furthermore by a voice several decibels too loud yelling, "Yo, Squall, I'm back!"

Squall's eyes twitched. Their gaze of steel stayed glued to the pages of a study guide dealing with the origin of sorceresses, and his lips silently pronounced the words as he _tried_ to ignore the thundering of steps as his roommate stomped about like a donkey. A drunk donkey of a hundred and eighty kilograms. Zell was neither, and yet, Squall sometimes entertained the thought of one of Zell's ancestors being just that.

 _Creeea_ _k_ _._ That was the door to Zell's room, and while the blond usually performed all his actions in a dizzying speed, he took his sweet time as if he _enjoyed_ the metallic protest of its hinges. _Thud_. His bag, undoubtedly filled to the brim with fresh clothing, fated to pile up in every corner, dumbbells, future blockades to the refrigerator and the bathroom, and magazines, soon to be scattered across their tiny dining table, the single counter on which they could prepare snacks, and _both_ of their study desks. Another creak, ringing unpleasantly in Squall's ears, and Zell exited his personal bedroom which he truly only used for that singular purpose, and plonked down on the chair next to Squall. "Did ya miss me?"

"What does it look like, Zell?" Squall replied flatly as he finally looked up and glared past the strands of his unruly brown hair into the ludicrous grin of his flatmate which spread the black tribal tattoo on the left side of his visage into distortion.

Zell opened his mouth once. Twice. "It… looks like you're studying."

Squall cupped his forehead in the palm of one gloved hand, leather scrunching softly. "Exactly." He raised the book before his face again, as a direct barrier between him and his adversary.

Unfortunately, it could only block out the visual aspects of his disturbance. "Why are you already learning, Squall? It's summer break!"

"I'm _still_ learning," Squall pointed out with a frown. He read the last sentence again. "And it's the _final_ day of summer break. Classes start early tomorrow."

Zell winced. "Ouch. Don't say it out loud, man, it ruins the spirit. You gotta relax and enjoy yourself _because_ it's the last day."

' _That had been my plan, Zell,'_ Squall thought dryly. _'And then, you came.'_ Out loud, the brunet cadet asked, "Why are you back already? Usually, you stay in Balamb until the very last evening."

"Hooh?" Zell leaned forward and planted one elbow on Squall's study desk, effectively throwing over the neat row of study material Squall had ordered by field and name.

' _Now that's just beautiful.'_ Squall sighed and began to pick up the books one by one. He made sure to keep his eyes off Zell to diminish the chances of further conversation. In vain.

"That just sounded a bit like you _did_ miss me."

"No, I didn't."

Zell grinned and swatted his arm, unaware of or uncaring for the glare Squall gave him at that. "Well, _I_ missed the Garden. And if I barge into Xu's classes late on the first day again, she'll probably give me detention," he added mischievously and scratched the back of his head. "Not like home wasn't good or anything…"

Squall dimly remembered the beginning of last term. Their instructor _had_ threatened consequences of the like, and she was not a woman to go back on her words once they were spoken. It surprised him, however, that Zell actually _remembered._ It had been over four months ago, and the remembrance span of his flatmate was a limited and unreliable thing.

"…but of course Mom wanted me to stay until tomorrow morning. Like being there a whole month wasn't enough." Zell shook his head, but then he stilled, his blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Squall, are you even listening?"

The man flipped a page, his jaw leaned against a bent finger. "… I'm trying not to."

Zell growled something beneath his breath and got up. Squall might have heard the word 'asshole' somewhere in between, but he did not care. _Thu_ _nk_ _._ Paired with the heavy exhale, Squall concluded that Zell had punched the wall. The brunet cadet sighed and looked up to find himself proven right. Zell glowered at him over the collar of his black vest, huffed and stomped over to his room, then closed the door shut with enough force to have the walls rumble.

 _Bang. Clatter. Thud._

Squall did not bother to identify the series of sounds. He furrowed his brows and leaned more closely to his reading, repeated a crucial passage about Hyne's genes which were still present in modern sorceresses and thus denoted a hereditary component, despite no known offspring of Hyne. Some argued that-

"Anyway!" Zell entered again, his short stature not able to fill the door frame vertically but his muscles allowing for an almost horizontal alignment, even with the hands behind his back. "You needa check out my new weights. Look!" He thrust his arms forward, two crimson dumbbells in each hand. "It took me forever to find fifty kilogram versions, but Barret – ya know, the leader of Balamb's gym – got'em made just for me. Look at how _awesome_ they are."

It was the loud voice that made Squall look, not Zell's request, but even the brunet cadet could not help but raise his eyebrows at the immense weight Zell held in his hands. The biceps of the shorter – and yet older – man pressed against their black confines of his sleeves as he performed a single curl, and he grinned wildly despite the sweat on his face. "I hate waiting for the dumbbells in the Garden's gym to be free, so I thought I'd bring my own pair."

"Great," Squall commented dryly and jerked his head into the direction of a corner of their common room. "You can put them to the _rest_ of your equipment." Said rest was a stack of fifteen pairs of dumbbells. _Fifteen_. _Pairs._ Squall had counted them.

But Zell just laughed. "Nah, man, I gotta carry them around everywhere."

"What about the other pair?"

"Hm?"

"You brought _two_ pairs. What do you need the second pair for?"

"Easy!" Zell let the pair in his right hand fall to the floor, evidently not minding the heavy _thud_ that woke everyone in a three kilometer radius. "I keep them here, in case I lose the others."

Squall lowered his head. _'You have lost a lot of things in the Garden_ _ever since you enrolled seven years ago. Study books, homework, points,_ _underwear_ _.'_ His eyebrow twitched at the memory of finding a pair of neon-yellow boxers on _his_ bed. _'But as much as I wish you would, you have_ _never_ _lost your equipment.'_ From the peripherals of his eyes, he saw how a happily humming Zell kicked the heavy dumbbells roughly into the direction of the corner, missed, and proceeded to stem weights right then and there, heavy pants and grunts included.

With a sigh, Squall closed his book and tucked it under his arm. He rose, dutifully positioned his chair as close to his desk as possible, and went for the door.

Zell interrupted his workout for a second. "Where you goin'?"

"The library," Squall snapped curtly. "There is no way I can learn here."

"Huh," Zell made and picked up the repetitions, "if you say so. Have fun studying. 'til later tonight."

Squall pinched the bridge of his nose and closed the door behind him. Sunlight flooded the gray corridor before him, quiet except for his steps. He could not wait for this day to end already.

* * *

This was it. The last day of her living on the Galbadian Continent. And Rinoa already saw it disappear beneath her feet as she made the final steps away from the Garden that had been her home since nine years. A tall and broad construct of red and gold and black, Rinoa had to lean her head back in order to see the golden ring seemingly hovering atop the Garden as it turned endlessly. It was beautiful, in an opulent kind of way, with all sorts of swirls and turns and twists, and she had spent many an afternoon lying on the grass surrounding the Garden and looking up to it so it could lull her troubled thoughts to sleep.

But now, she stood on the gray pavement leading to and from the magnificent entrance hall, and she would take the latter direction. Subconsciously, Rinoa's fingers traveled up to her neckline, where they found a silver ring on a silver necklace. _'Somehow… this is so sad.'_ A sad smile twisted her lips.

"Rinoa!"

"Wait up!"

The sudden voices made the raven-haired girl jerk her head up, and her momentary confusion made place for a sincere smile as she watched her two closest friends run towards her. Both women wore the Garden uniform – a black blouse and skirt with silver shoulder designs, linings, and the Garden's black and white logo partway down the right sleeve – which Rinoa had to return upon her leave. She knew exactly what if felt like wearing the rich, soft fabric on her bare skin, and wondered whether her new Garden would require her to wear her new uniform at all times as well.

"Leila! Refia! What are you two doing here?" she asked as soon as her friends reached her.

Refia winked, green eyes behind deep brown lashes. "Seeing you off, what else?"

"I'm sorry, Rinoa," Leila spoke up with her calm voice, tugging a strand of silvery blond hair behind her ear. "I know you told us not to come after last night's farewell party, but…" She stopped. Looked down on her pale fingers and fiddled with them. "I just… wanted to see you. One last time."

Rinoa, mouth already open for a reply, halted. _'One last time,'_ her mind echoed and her heart sunk. _'She's right. No one knows if we'll ever see each other again. Once I join another Garden, we might_ _even_ _become enemies.'_ Suddenly, all words were lost on her.

Between them, Refia whipped her head left and right, short strands flying about, and she gave both of her friends a rough nudge in the side. "Really, what's wrong with you two? You're going to another Garden, not joining an opposing army, Rinoa. And Leila," she barked and the blonde winced, "we talked about this! No sappy sad lines." She slung her arm around the neck of the girl who was near to tears. "Here, let's give Rinoa a proper smile. Like _this_!" Refia spread her lips wide and happily, and forced her friend to do the same by pulling on her mouth with her fingers.

"Re-Refia! Shtop dat-" Leila whined and struggled against the grip her shorter friend used on her.

Rinoa began to chuckle and her friends stopped in their tracks. They watched her as she held her stomach from laughter, as she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes and as she calmed down. Her dark brown eyes were warm and free of regrets. "Thank you. I will really miss you two." She stepped forward and embraced both women in her arms, turning her head first to the one, then the other. "Be careful with the fire spells, Refia. Your hot temper might make them burst one day."

The brunette laughed, but her voice shook at the edges. "As if. But sure, I'll just pretend you're there, yelling at me to do it right."

Rinoa smiled. "In contrast to that, you have to give your para-magic more juice, Leila. Don't be afraid to use it. The others are depending on your healing abilities." Leila only managed a hiccup and a brief nod, but it was answer enough. When Rinoa released them and danced a few steps back, she could see tears sparkling both in blue and green eyes. Her own stung.

Refia coughed. "Top student until the very last moment, huh? One day, you gotta tell me your secret to using para-magic that neatly. But be careful, the cadets on that remote island might not like it that much, being bossed around."

"I'm not bossing anyone around!" Rinoa protested.

"And Balamb Island is not remote, Refia," Leila corrected with a shake of her head. "In fact, it is the most centralized continent on the planet. Very useful for launching maneuvers."

Rinoa leaned forward with a grin. "There." A timer beeped in her bag and she jumped. "Oh no, I'll be late for the train!" She ran a few paces before she turned and looked back on the two friends she had gone through thick and thin with. A thousand words and more were overflowing from her heart, but she only managed to say, "Thank you for everything, Refia and Leila!"

The brunette placed her hands on her hips. "Stop acting like it's the end of the world. We'll see each other again. That's a promise!"

"Exactly," Leila added, her voice almost lost in the wind, "so don't worry about us and enjoy yourself."

"Show them what G-Garden cadets are made of!"

Rinoa's heart clenched, but she smiled and waved nonetheless before she turned on her heel and dashed for the train station, a good twenty minutes from the Garden. She tried not to notice how her former home shrunk behind her, how every bit of security she had developed in the past nine years faded into oblivion. Nothing at the moderate train station indicated the change she was about to undergo as she validated her ticket at the automatic card reader and searched for her cabin. Her father, being the rich man he was, had insisted on reserving a high-end compartment way too grand for her little person, but Rinoa had decided not to argue with him. Arguments with her father were the last she needed.

' _Not that we would talk enough to get into arguments any longer,'_ Rinoa thought bitterly, her eyes scanning the little tags at each cabin until she found hers. With a deep sigh, the woman shook her head. _'Enough of this. I must be positive._ _Not much longer, and all of this will be over with.'_

Her strained expression turned into one of awe when the door slid to the side, revealing a spacious compartment with bronze walls and soft, red carpet. A wide sofa of a pastel lavender color took up most of the space, even twisted around the corner. Two bunk beds, their frames of the same bronze material as the walls, invited her to lay down, while a small side table offered different magazines, waiting to be read.

"Now this is just beautiful!" she cheered to herself and plopped down on the sofa, the cushions comfortingly clinging to her figure. "I never thought I'd see one of these before I become a SeeD!" She leaned back, let her blue duster sweater flow over the soft material and stretched her muscles before her lean fingers grabbed for one of the magazines. _'Oooh, Pet Pals No._ _8_ _! That must be new.'_ Soon, she was engrossed in her reading, with her feet dangling down the side.

But whenever she was not fully distracted, her heart ached. Even when she furrowed her brows in concentration, the quiet voice of discontentment kept nagging at her, until she put the magazine aside and looked out of the window – something she had avoided doing for the first thirty minutes, knowing fully well that seeing Galbadia Garden disappear behind her would only serve to further her sadness.

Now, all she saw were mountains to her left and lush fields to her right. _'So peaceful.'_ She leaned her head on her crossed forearms. _'By tonight, I'll be in my new home. A new chapter of my life begins there. I just…'_ her thoughts trailed off, and her fingers played with the ring on her necklace again. _'I just hope I will find what I am looking for.'_

' _You better,'_ a voice suddenly purred within her mind and Rinoa tensed. _'Or else…'_

The woman shook her head wildly and retreated from the window to pick up the magazine again and continue reading the article about dog treats. She would not think about that. Not now. There would be plenty of time later. _Much_ later, she hoped. She had passed the stage that allowed for doubts; sheer determination _had_ to drive her now, no questions asked or reconsiderations permitted.

Rinoa sighed and closed her eyes, listened to the rattling of the train. She hoped the day would never end.

* * *

People all around him. Chattering, murmuring, laughing. How he hated that. He had known the library would not be silent like a morgue – even though he _had_ hoped for that – but this was outright ridiculous. Squall sighed and narrowed his eyes at the text in front of them, his free hand playing with the ring on his middle finger.

 _[In order to_ _test_ _the theory of hereditary sorceress power,_ _Dr. Inode of Timber initiated an experiment_ _in 648_ _with the captured sorceress_ _Angra_ _(_ _501 – 706_ _), which generated eighty eight descendants, forty-one of which female. None of_ _Angra's_ _offspring possessed the_ _potential to embody the sorceress power, and after another fifty years of experiments and observations conducted on Angra's female offspring and their_ _female_ _offspring, the theory was proven wrong._

 _In the year 1853, Dr. Odine picked up on Inode's notes and followed the_ _legacy of the_ _experiments' neglected male offspring_ _and_ _discover_ _ed_ _that the sorceress_ _Mainyu_ _(1082 – 1150)_ _was the progeny of one of Angra's male descendants. Following that discovery, Odine exposed the_ _paternal_ _cognations of several other sorceresses (for a_ _draft_ _genealogical tree established by Odine, see figure 8.2) and thus not only disproved Inode's findings, but also disposed of the common myth that 'Hyne' randomly grants the capacity for the sorceress power._

 _On a related note, the_ _alleged_ _existence of 'Hyne'-]_

"Hello, Squall." The voice, soft and calm, belonged to his female classmate Quistis Trepe. She motioned for the seat next to him and asked, "May I?" With a glance, Squall noticed how she already wore her uniform, as per usual. For a reply, he nodded before his eyes returned to his book. "Thank you." Quietly, Quistis set her leather briefcase against the wooden table and sat down, one hand flattening the navy blue skirt before it could wrinkle. She opened her dispatch case and retrieved several notes and books, which she piled orderly before picking one. Without a sound, she opened its cover and began to read.

For a good thirty minutes, Squall enjoyed the silence. It was interrupted only by the sounds of flipped pages or the shuffling of clothing when he or Quistis shifted on their seats. All the background noise of other people faded away until he could hear not only his own, but Quistis' breathing as well. It was calm. Relaxing.

"I was told by the front desk that a hundred new books have been appended to the library," Quistis said, her voice almost below her breath and matter-of-factly. "Is your current reading one of those?" Squall nodded, his eyes and lips reading on without breaking from the line. "I see. It's a guide of the sorceress history, correct? Could you let me know once you are through with it? I would like to read it as soon as possible in preparation for the history exam at the end of the term."

Once more, Squall nodded. He knew that Quistis was looking at him, blue eyes observing behind silver-rimmed spectacles, so he offered, "I should be done by the day after tomorrow."

Quistis smiled. "Excellent. I will compare it to Dr. Einod's _'Analysis of Sorceress Powers from the Past to the Present'_ while I'm at it. If you want..." she broke off, just shortly, before she continued, "I can share my notes with you once I'm done."

"I already have notes for that."

The young woman's smile faded. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry for forcing myself on you."

This time, the blissful silence lasted for an hour, during which Squall read through a hundred and two pages before Quistis shook her head at her book and turned to him. "Excuse me, Squall, but could I have your opinion on something?"

Squall sighed mentally. He drew forth a simple white bookmark and placed it between the pages before he set his book down and leaned over, his steel blue eyes following the line of Quistis' finger to a passage about para-magical junction systems.

 _[_ _In contrast to sorceresses and monsters, regular humans have to exert great caution when_ _using_ _magical energy to enhance their bodily functions. Their nerves and muscles are not meant to be fused with the magical energy and could easily enter an overdrive, which would increase performance for a short time before killing its user, similar to a 'Limit Break.' In order to safely junction-]_

He stopped where Quistis' finger blocked the sentence and turned his head towards her with a raised eyebrow. The woman caught his eyes and said, "The passage about monster must be erroneous, right? We learned last term that monsters cannot consciously enhance their bodies nor minds with magic."

Squall read over the passage again, then nodded. "Yes. It must be an error. Or poorly formulated. Monsters do not have the necessary partition within the Hyne lobe to govern conjunctions between magical energy and their systems."

Quistis nodded several times. "Yes, yes, _exactly_. Thank you, Squall, I wanted to make sure that this manual is faulty. I will report it to instructor Xu tomorrow after class. Isn't it outrageous how every other guide has errors? Sometimes, it's no wonder other people fail the exams. I mean," she interjected with a chuckle, "not that it would concern _us_. Most of these errors can be deduced by common sense and attentive reading."

Squall had already returned to his book, hoping to immerse himself fully, but a few minutes later Quistis consulted him for another dubious passage. Half a page later, there was a wrong definition, and he swore he had barely taken his book up again that she inquired to discuss a controversial statement. After an hour of going back and forth between her questions and his reading, he realized it was fruitless.

With a sigh, Squall closed his book and stood. He noticed how Quistis' eyes were glued to him, but he just nodded brusquely before he left the library with not enough learning done just yet. Since his dorm apartment would still be misused as a second gym, returning was not an option until he could fall straight into bed, _hopefully_ blocking out Zell's snoring. The training center did not particularly call him on that day, either, and the cafeteria and quad were not even options to begin with, with all the other cadets fussing about. His only choices left were the classrooms, a few of them always open for quiet studies – _if_ you were on good terms with the Garden Faculty.

He exhaled loudly. Squall was not on particularly good terms with _anyone_.

* * *

People all around her. Chattering, murmuring, laughing. How she loved that. She had known her one hour stop in Timber would not be silent like a morgue – even though she _had_ feared that – but this was outright delightful. Just a short walk from the train station was an adorable little pub. The _Aphorora Club_ entertained a decent patronship even during the afternoon, and the regulars had welcomed Rinoa with open arms, exciting stories – and free drinks.

A guy with a scar sealing his right eye and a deeply rumbling baritone currently told about his recent trip to the surrounding forests. "I've been goin' round here for _years_ , I tell ya, but I've _never_ seen so many grats in one place! Can't count no good with this single eye of mine, but I bet'cha it were half a hundred at _least_."

"Sure thing, Edge," another man roared with laughter. "Bet you also met _Edea_ while you were there."

Edge leaned over on his tattooed right arm. "Doubtin' me, Bartz? Always been a critic." He nudged Rinoa at that and the woman chuckled. "But sure, laugh 'bout it while ya can. Just don't come running t' me when ya in trouble." He took a deep gulp of his beverage – completely non-alcoholic, as Rinoa had been able to tell to her surprise by a whiff and a sip – and wiped over his broad chin.

His opposite shrugged, then smiled at Rinoa behind his black beard. "Don't believe a thing this guy's telling you, sweetheart. Ever since he lost his right eye, he's lost a part of his sanity as well." Bartz pointed at his own head and rolled his index finger, and he ducked just in time before a right hook of Edge could smash his face in.

Rinoa snickered. "You two get along so well. Childhood friends who grew up here together?"

"Nah, I'm from Trabia," Bartz negated. "But jobs're getting sparse up there, so I crossed the sea for some easy work. And Edge over there is from one of the small Centra settlements."

She looked over in surprise. "Really? I learned that Centra is mostly uninhabited."

"Mostly," the tanned man agreed. "But not completely. Me and me family's ran a village over there. Gotta fend and feed for ourselves, with no real government to speak of, but it's honest 'n' good work."

"Then why did you come to Timber?" Rinoa inquired and took a sip from her own drink. _'Blobra's Bite'_ it was called, and as blue and cold as its eponym as it ran down her throat refreshingly. But her freezing blood resulted from Edge's sudden glare.

"Nine years ago," he started with his thundering voice and everything around them turned quiet, " _she_ came."

Rinoa opened her mouth to dig deeper, and Bartz provided in a whisper, though with a roll of his eyes, "Edea."

Edge nodded grimly. "Bitch turned up out of nowhere, trashed houses left and right and slaughtered everyone who took even one step t'wards her. Including me ma and pa." He paused, his thick fingers straining around the brown cup. "I remember that night too fucking well. All the blood in the snow, the screams in the air. In none of me years as a hunter did I ever hear such horrible screams. The human kind are just the worst." He shuddered. "And she just stood there, wearing black like the night and with eyes like the sun. Burned right through me as I cowered there, next to me dead ma. She had been cookin' tea just a few minutes before." A rough laugh, then a shake of his head before he went on, "After she destroyed everything and all women were dragged out, she took one look at them – one! - and left. Apparently we didn't've what she'd been lookin' for." Edge sneered bitterly and shrugged. "Well, some of me folk stayed to rebuild it all, but I'd enough of Centra to last me a lifetime. Came here with the next ship and been travelin' round ever since. Always comin' back to the _Aphorora_ though," he added and the sorrowful gleam in his eyes faded as he raised his cup for a cheer to the black-haired bartender.

Rinoa looked down on her own drink, and her previously high spirits ran dry. She placed her hand on Edge's tattooed arm and, with her eyes dark and partially lidded, said, "I'm so sorry for what happened to you and your village. If there were a SeeD outpost on Centra, then it might not have come that far."

Edge blinked, then pat her hand with his own paw. "Don't'cha worry your sweet little head. No one's responsible for that bitch except her."

"That's not entirely true, though," Bartz spoke up, his cup at his lips. "The girl is right. Keeping sorceresses at bay and under control is one of the main purposes of SeeDs. And still, ever since the Gardens were founded four hundred years ago, those cunts do nothin' while one sorceress after the other pops up and tyrannizes us." He shook his head and offered Rinoa a smile. "I'm not blaming you, sweetheart. You are young. Not even a SeeD yet, right? But those guys… they could really pick up their game a bit, know what I mean?"

Rinoa nodded slowly and her smile died completely. "I know. The SeeD really _are_ slacking. There are so many sorceresses out there we don't even know about. All of them… are a big threat to the world," she added and looked to the side.

"Well, there've been a few good ones as well," Edge threw in, obviously trying to cheer Rinoa up. "That Eiko-whats-it stood up for the Madain country when it collapsed and helped them settle over to Trabia, right? And another once stopped a flood that almost drowned F.H. And, uh…"

Bartz crossed his arms, undoubtedly for a counter argument, but Rinoa realized with a look at the clock above the bar that her train was due in only ten minuets. She jumped from her seat. "Oh no, I'll be late again! I'm sorry, Edge, Bartz, but I have to go now. Thank you so much for the drinks and the stories – you made my stay extremely lovely." She smiled at both men despite the turmoil within her and presented a bow at each, causing Edge to blush and Bartz to laugh. With quickening steps she rushed for the train station, an area with the same greenish and blue tones that pervaded the entire town, and Rinoa hurried over the small drawbridge to the far platform, her train already waiting for her. She jumped inside, and just a few seconds later the horn sounded, the bridge opened and her train to Balamb set off.

No special cabin would ease the seven hour ride for her, but Rinoa did not mind sitting next to a few strangers. After all, Rinoa found it easy to get on good terms with _anyone_.

* * *

"E-excuse me." The voice belonged to a woman Squall had never seen before. He would have ignored her, but as she stood directly in the light of the classroom's ceiling lamp, he had no choice but to raise his head for a deathly glare, usually reserved for t-rexaurs in the training center. She gasped and looked to the side, her ponytail falling from her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I hope I'm not bothering you..."

' _You are.'_ Squall placed a finger between the pages of his book. "What do you want?"

Her eyes – a vibrant, deep green – darted away, the hands behind her back fiddled nervously. "I… I have been watching you for a long time now, Squall. And I don't mean today only," she added, tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear. "Ever since I came to this Garden… Everyone is talking about you."

' _I wish they wouldn't.'_

"Your strength, your grades…"

' _If they have time to talk about me, they should invest it into studying themselves.'_

"And I…" She tugged at her uniform. "I could not help but watch, too."

' _Evidently.'_ He hated where this was going. Deeply.

"And I know that you didn't even know I exist," she almost called out, a blush tinting her cheeks red.

' _I'll forget about that in a minute, to be sure.'_

"All this time, I dreamed about approaching you one day. About working up the courage to tell you…" She gulped.

' _Get to the point already.'_

Her eyes snapped open and she drew forth a heart-shaped box from behind her back, offering it to Squall with a small bow. "I like you, Squall! Please, accept my feelings!"

Squall looked at her silently, until the girl shifted on her shaking feet. He sighed. Without looking at her any further, he raised his book again, opened the pages and let his eyes wander back to the passage about the difference between para-magic and natural magic. "I have no use for them."

A choked gasp sprung from the girl's lips. She made a step towards him, hand stretched out for his arm or shoulder. "B-but, Squall, I've always-"

"Leave." His voice was so dark it rumbled in his chest, and the girl winced as if he had slapped her. A sob broke from her quavering lips before she turned from him and dashed through the slide door with a hand clasped to her whimpering mouth.

The brunet cadet resumed his reading – only to groan when an all too familiar voice behind him said, "My, my, my, _Squall_. How many girls who have confessed their love to you only to be rejected brutally does that make now in your nine years?" A man wearing a black cowboy hat rounded him, his khaki-colored jacket swept around his ankles, and the smirk on his face made a girl somewhere in the corner swoon. "I am almost jealous."

"Leave me alone, Irvine," Squall growled, "I'm trying to study."

"Ah!" Irvine threw his head back, his brown ponytail slapping against his tall back. "The loner persona! I always considered myself its master, but you are pulling it to new heights. I'm sure poor brokenhearted lady number ninety-six would be drooling at your coolness if she weren't crying."

' _Why are you counting them?'_ Squall shot his fellow classmate a glance. "Then go and console her."

Irvine broke his posture for a blink. Immediately, the smirk returned. "But naturally! It is a gentleman's duty to ease the wounds on a lady's heart. It's a burden, carrying their broken feelings, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make. The world of the ladies _needs_ me, after all, and who am I to deny the call?" Irvine pushed his hair away and turned on his heel to saunter towards the exit while waving his gloved hands. "One of these days, I will give you a proper lesson in courting ladies, my friend."

Squall pinched the bridge of his nose. _'I'd much rather not.'_

* * *

"E-excuse me." The voice belonged to a man Rinoa had never seen before. There was no way she could ignore him, as he was bent forward so shyly and his tone so gentle, so she gave him a smile usually reserved for her closest friends. He returned her expression in kind, though not without a nervous shiver. "I'm sorry, I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Of course you aren't." Rinoa pat the space next to her. "Here, take a seat."

The man followed her invite. He sat rather stiffly next to her and ran a hand through his cropped onyx hair. "My name is Desh."

"I'm Rinoa."

Desh smiled. "That's a beautiful name. J-just as beautiful as you."

Rinoa blinked. Had she heard him right, over the rumbling of the train? She must have, for Desh suddenly turned bright red and swatted his hands. "I- I'm so sorry, that was too sudden! Please, forget I said that." He rose to his feet, ready to escape, but Rinoa took hold of his arm.

"Wait!" As their eyes met, she gave him another smile. "I don't want to pretend I did not hear that. It was a wonderful compliment. Thank you." She ushered him to sit down again. "A bit sudden, yes – but your honesty is admirable. And flattering," she added with a chuckle. "Are you always like that?"

Desh, his face still flushed, laughed nervously, and Rinoa used the opportunity to ask him questions about his personal life. By the time they crossed half of the underwater tunnel, he was no longer a complete stranger to her, and she listened with honest interest as he told her about his family, his younger sister Luca, the friends in Balamb he was about to visit. But when the questions turned to her, she made sure to answer in a polite, yet evasive manner.

' _Nothing against you personally,_ _Desh_ _,'_ she thought to herself while she smiled at his stories. _'But I don't think you are 'the one'.'_ When his bright laughter echoed in the cabin and made even the children around them join gleefully, Rinoa turned her eyes away. _'_ _I hope you're not.'_

"Rinoa?" Desh had leaned towards her without her realizing it, and both of them blushed at the proximity. But the man with the gentle brown eyes did not back off. Instead, he slanted his head. "Are you alright? You've been spacing out for a while. Do you have motion sickness?"

"Y-yeah," she took the excuse gladly. "I'm not that good with trains, to be honest. Excuse me, but I think I have to go to the bathroom." She tried to ignore the disappointment in his eyes as she stood and instead smiled at him. "It was very nice talking to you. Thank you."

Desh jumped to his feet. His fingers fuddled with each other, but other than that, he hid his feelings well. "Of course! Thank _you_ for putting up with me. I must've sounded like an idiot in the beginning."

Rinoa chuckled. "No, not at all." She turned to run away, but Desh suddenly took hold of her hand.

The blush on his face strengthened, but he kept his eyes locked to hers. "I will stay in Balamb for three weeks. If you- if you want to, we can meet up again. I'd be very happy," he added with a smile too sincere and pressed a piece of paper into her hand. "Here, it's my friend's address."

"Thank you." She worked up a grin and fled before the gentle man could say another word. Aimlessly, she made her way as far to the back as she could and squeezed herself into a corner. The piece of paper in her hand felt too heavy for its size. Rinoa gave it a sad smile.

' _I'm sorry,'_ she thought as she tossed it in the nearest garbage can. _'Thanks for your offer. But I'd much rather not.'_

* * *

Night came down on Balamb Garden, and Squall closed his book. _'Almost done. I might be able to hand it to Quistis by tomorrow already.'_ He rose from his study panel, the muscles in his legs slightly stiff from hours of disuse, and made his way for the door. _'Hopefully Zell is already fast asleep- wait, no, he snores like an ochu.'_ He frowned. _'Either way, the dorms will be a restless abode for another term._ _But-_ _'_

"Booyaka!"

Squall ducked briefly, hands still in the pocket of his nocturnal trousers, and Selphie's greeting palm swatted past the area where his head had been. As he rose, he sent a glare over his shoulder, and the petite brunette answered with pout. "Oi, Squallie. What's the big idea, dodging me like that? Not-fun-ny!" She pronounced every syllable and leaned forward pointedly. But her anger did not last long; Squall barely batted his eyelashes before her face widened in a grin that showed teeth and glee. "Fancy meeting you here. I was _just_ thinking about you."

' _Oh, please, no.'_

"Take a look at _this_!" Seemingly from out of nowhere, Selphie produced a sheet of paper and thrust it into Squall's face, conveniently ignoring his knitted eyebrows. "The Garden Festival's up for mid-term, and we, the committee, are still looking for members. You have enough free time, right, Squa- hey!" Her call fell on deaf ears as the cadet picked up his feet and passed both the door and her request.

' _Annoying.'_ Squall shook his head to himself. _'Although she_ _does_ _demonstrate remarkable persistence.'_

"Hold it right there, Squallie!" His path was blocked as a whirlwind of yellow rounded him, her bare arms spread wide, now flyers in _both_ of her hands. The grin on her face was still wide, but her green eyes sparkled in a way that made Squall sigh internally. "I know you said 'no' once already."

' _Once_ _?'_

"But this time, you _have_ to help." She wiggled one paper, the blue and green colors merging with the motion. "Pret-ty please!"

Squall raised an eyebrow. _'Usually, 'please' requires a question mark.'_

"It'll be fun-mazing! There'll be lotsa people, music, games and" - she lowered her voice and the corners of her mouth traveled up further almost sneakily - "if we do it _just_ right, we'll even get some booze! You can't say no to that, nah-uh."

He granted her a second of a glare. "No."

Selphie's face and the upward curled edges of her hair dropped. "Eeh? But, Squallie!" She gasped when Squall's shoulder rammed her as he stepped past her, but shook her head with determination and skipped after him. "Don't'cha wanna change your mind? An event of fun! Games! Joy!" The young woman hopped around him once without slowing his steps. "Everyone's gonna _looove_ working with you. We meet up in breaks and sometimes past curfew, hee-hee." Her giggles caught up in her throat and Squall felt the sudden urge to strangle them out of her.

' _No good. It's not specifically mentioned, but 'strangling fellow cadets' surely falls under improper conduct.'_

"Squa~ll," Selphie chimed in an octave reserved for newborns, "I know you can hear me. You're frowning just like when you try to tune me out. Makes you look like an ol' geezer, nyah-ha!" He was sure he had a throbbing vein or two on his forehead as well, but the brunette was kind enough not to point those out."I won't let you off the hook this time, nope, and if I must sleep in your room."

Squall stopped, eliciting an excited squeal from Selphie. "Wow, so you're gonna help?" She clapped her hands in victory.

"That aside," Squall began with a monotonous voice and looked over his shoulder, "I met Irvine earlier."

Selphie stopped her victorious dance – a hopping and clapping and moves suspiciously close to a terrified but oddly excited chicken – and squealed. More loudly this time around. "Naww, you met Irvie? Haven't seen him yet. For the entire break, actually," she added with her index finger tapping her chin, and her eyes dropped momentarily. But then, she shook her head and smiled, "Where's he at?"

"He ran after some girl a few hours ago. I might remember having seen her in the court a few times." The second part was a blatant lie – he already forgot what the blonde, or was it brunette, looked like – but Selphie could not know, and Squall watched in relief how the grin grew on her lips and fled from her eyes.

"Ah," the young woman made, now in a tone Squall associated with practiced murderers, "how fun that sounds. Irvie is playing with girls again. Kukukuku." She cracked her knuckles one by one and her eyes darkened without the grin wavering for the briefest bit. "I'm in a playful mood as well. 'scuse me, Squall, but I gotta go _play_ some. Think about the committee, will ya?"

Squall did not even need to pretend to consider her words, for Selphie already turned on her heel and skipped with flinging arms towards the elevator. The man chose to lean against the nearest wall until her ride had left before he headed for said machine himself. He imagined to hear a terrified scream somewhere from the courtyard. But it was hard to tell, behind this thick glass.

* * *

Night had come down on the small town of Balamb by the sea. The air already felt different to Rinoa, and despite the calm swooshing of the waves from the distant harbor and the warm air, her skin was covered in gooseflesh. She brushed over her arms once, twice, but the prickles remained. She must have turned cold from waiting anxiously in a corner until she was sure enough that Desh had left both train and station before she followed. He was a nice guy – and exactly because of that, she had avoided running into him again, however briefly that encounter might have been. She found it hard to say 'no'.

With strained eyes, she observed her surroundings. The train station behind her was a lot smaller than she had expected, with all the tourists reportedly flooding the town, but it had a homey feel due to its round lines and curves making up the architecture. The style continued into the town itself, lightly gray-washed buildings aligned on a blue street that clacked softly beneath the heels of her boots. Street lights were set up more sparsely than in her previous home area, but their light was warm. The more she distanced herself from the train station, the louder the sound of waves grew, though not as loud as when she had traveled beneath them in the transcontinental train. She tasted salt on her lips, the tiny hairs in her nose tickled when the scents of various trees and flower pots, which seemed to adorn the place at every other corner, invaded her nostrils.

' _It seems… like a nice place,'_ Rinoa finally thought. _'Quiet and calm. Very different from home. No,'_ she shook her head, _'this is my new home now.'_ She nodded as if to convince herself and continued to drag her luggage behind her, a medium-sized trolley containing mostly personal belongings and decorative items, and as she passed the local clothing store she made a note to stock up on attire. _'Refia was right. Galbadian clothing would be_ _so_ _out of place here.'_

"Excuse me, miss? Are you interested in the fisherman's hall's renovation?" The polite voice belonged to a young girl, who offered a flyer to Rinoa. The simplistic designed letter contained brief information on the town's local business and need to compete with produce from Fisherman's Horizon, and encouraged readers to donate a small sum of money at the office.

Rinoa smiled lightly. "I just moved here, so I don't really know much about Balamb or its economy… But I will stop by one of these days, I have a gil or two to spare." Her eyes got caught the pile on the girl's basket. "There's an awful lot left. Why won't you call it a day and go home? Your parents must be worried?"

The girl shook her head so vigorously that the two pigtails whipped her plump cheeks. "It's really important for daddy. I promised I'll hand them a~ll out before I get home. And Balamb folk keep Balamb word!" She crossed her heart with puffed cheeks, like a fish.

"That's very nice of you," Rinoa said and squatted down, "but isn't it bedtime soon?" She kept the chuckle to herself when the girl squinted at her shoes in a sheepish manner. "I see. Then let me help you. They'll be handed out much quicker that way."

The girl's eyes widened. "Are you sure, miss? It's very late."

Now, Rinoa could not help but snicker. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm not in a rush. Gimme half of that pile. There's a bar for adults by the train station, I'll distribute them there. Some travelers might want to help as well. We'll be out of flyers in an hour." She winked. "And Rinoa keeps Rinoa's word!"

Staying true to her words took quite a deal of bargaining, begging and even threatening, but before the hour was done, the little girl – whose name Rinoa found out to be Maria – had no flyers left in her basket. Rinoa insisted on seeing her home safely, which led her through a variety of narrow passages and sideways to a brightly lit house where two very worried parents were pacing up and down the front door. The raven-haired woman had to decline their gracious offer of a warm bed for the night and a filling meal, as much as she wanted to accept it. But her way led her to the town's border to the car port and a rather irate driver. He wore a strict uniform that resembled her old one down to every detail except the accent color – yellow.

"You were supposed to report here over an hour ago, cadet. Explain your tardiness."

Rinoa stiffened. _'That aspect doesn't seem to change from one Garden to the other.'_ Out loud, she said, "I'm sorry. I'm not well acquainted with these surroundings yet and lost my way."

The man with gray hair and cold eyes clicked his tongue. "Deplorable. Balamb Town's pattern is fairly easy to memorize. You ought to have done so before arriving here. Really," he added with a sigh and opened the door to the Garden car, a bulkier model than the ones Rinoa was used to, "if you were not General Caraway's daughter, such preferential treatment would not be wasted on you. Hurry up. We will arrive past curfew."

Rinoa swallowed the remarks burning on her tongue and heaved both herself and her luggage inside. She had barely closed the door that the man – instructor Aki, if she remembered correctly – set the vehicle in motion, dislocating her from the place she had just arrived at. Her driver was a silent man after his initial rudeness, and Rinoa was all the more happy for it; spending an hour conversing with him was the last thing on her wish list. Actually, it was not even _on_ that list. So instead, she had the pleasure of staring out the window and watch the terrain fly by. Lush grass, dark forests and a far off beach separated this world from her old one deeply enough that her heart ached. And when the instructor announced that the Garden could be seen, Rinoa only lifted her head because she knew there was no other choice; sooner or later, she had to confront the giant structure of chrome and metal. It was blue where Galbadia Garden had been red, but its shape was completely different; instead of a stadium, she saw a – cone. A rounded pyramid, with towers breaking up the triangular shape, many greens popping up in between and bright lights blinding her wide eyes. The only familiarity was the circle of metal and gold floating above the structure and turning endlessly, and not for the first time Rinoa wondered _how_ and _why_. She had never found the appropriate moment to ask.

"Instructor Aki?" she inquired, her eyes fixated on the odd and yet familiar shape, "why do the three Gardens possess this… floating circle? What keeps it moving there?" She imagined to hear him scoff as he turned the car into the tunnel leading inside of this unfamiliar place, moving the object of her interest out of sight. But it was hard to tell, within this thick car.

* * *

The sunlight woke him. Squall shut his eyes against the invading rays which _always_ found a way past his blinds no matter how he set them up, but as soon as he saw white stars he knew sleep was over. A disgruntled glare at his alarm informed him of the hour he had lost, the hour he could have spent resting peacefully.

A snore made the walls rattle and Squall groaned. _'Peaceful my ass.'_ He pinched the bridge of his nose, then heaved a sigh and himself out of bed. Bolts of cold shot up his feet as he trudged to the bathroom and tried to take as much time as possible showering, but even with extended care and senseless rinsing, he still had more than one and a half hours left before the first class of the new term would start. Another snore sounded; it would have made him jump if he had not gotten used to it by now.

Squall made a face. _'If this continues any longer, I won't be able to sleep_ _without_ _the snoring.'_ That was not entirely true, of course, but the thought alone was enough to have him grab his stuff and leave before Zell could perform this orchestra again and perpetually damage his eardrums. The Garden was quiet, as it usually was any time before seven, and Squall relished that. If it were not for the curfew, he would spent most of his time outside in the calm corridors when others were sleeping. But as he waited with impatiently tapping feet for the library to open and the roaring of his blood grew ever louder in his ears, Squall admitted that, even if he were given the chance, passing time in deadly silent hallways was not as sweet as it sounded. _'_ _That's reality for you.'_

One of the staff recognized him and allowed for him to enter with a hushed voice despite the early hour. He expressed his gratitude by _not_ glaring at her and retreated to the quietest corner the library had to offer. Even when, more than forty minutes later, some students rushed in to grab the much needed reading material for the first day, Squall managed to enjoy the relative calm until he deemed it late enough to head for the classroom himself. He searched for the shelf of his momentary reading – an essay dealing with lower fiend's group dynamics – himself, knowing fully well that he could do the job better than most of the staff, and his eyes were fully fixated on the last names of too many people with too much time on their hands when, as he rounded the corner for the right gap, a woman bumped into him.

"Ouch!" The stranger held her shoulder and shook her head, raven hair whipping from left to right. "I'm so sorry, didn't see you there!" She sent a smile after those words; but Squall had already shaken her presence off with a displeased shudder and proceeded to complete his initial task, having just found the gap he had been searching for. He did not notice how a shadow crossed her eyes, but he _did_ notice when she tapped on his shoulder and his body tensed. "Hey. I just said 'I'm sorry'. Don't you think _you_ should say something, too?"

Squall's gaze grazed her. "… Not really." The contact had been unwanted, but not particularly painful, and these things happened all the time.

The woman scrunched her nose. " _Nothing_? You bumped into me as much as I bumped into you. Is an apology too much to ask for?" She took a step closer to him and Squall immediately shied back, glaring down at her past his sharp nose. When she raised her hand for some gesture, he slapped the palm away before she could touch him _again_.

"Get lost." He did not like her. Their acquaintanceship had lasted no two minutes and Squall already dreaded her presence. Not just because she insisted on talking to him – though this warranted a basic level of dislike from his side already – but there was… _something_ about her. The hairs on his arms stood tall. "You're annoying."

The pupils in her eyes shrunk, fading almost completely for the rich brown surrounding them. "Annoying?" A line appeared between her thick brows. "Listen up, you- hey! Where do you think you're going?"

' _To class,'_ he replied in his head, but his mouth was a grim line which yielded no words. He forced her voice to fade into the background, as he let everything fade into the background, and followed the path his feet traveled by themselves to his destination. A frown marred his face. _'_ _Stupid woman.'_ He willed his mind to forget about her in the same way he forgot about everything that did not matter – only a few things ever mattered in his life, and they were _never_ people – and this woman with three caramel colored streaks in her onyx hair was the least of his concerns.

Or so he thought.

* * *

 **A/N:** Woohoo, the first chapter. The parallel style will not be continued in the rest of the story as it would be both too troublesome and boring, but I hope it managed to flesh out the differences between Squall and Rinoa nicely. Our main characters are set, and a lot of hints for the plot have been sprinkled all across this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you left me a word or two, I would be forever in your debt - and highly motivated to work on the next chapter more quickly.

~ Ruska

P.S. No chapter titles for this story because frankly, titles take forever to create and who really cares about them, anyway? Never had a review that said 'Wow, I LOVE the title!' Maybe I'll be an inconsistent little author and add titles when I feel like it. Maybe not.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Even when she came to stand before the door to her new classroom, Rinoa still fumed in barely suppressed anger at that rude man. _'My first interaction with a fellow cadet and it had to be someone like_ _that_ _.'_ Granted, the Garden Faculty seemed a bit gruff, too, and yet they did not weigh nearly as annoyingly on Rinoa's mind as the impolite brunet who had treated her like a bug. Or worse.

Rinoa slapped her cheeks softly, but with firm decision. _'Forget about him. He's one of, what, thousands? All other cadets_ _I met in the library_ _were nice and supportive. He doesn't matter. Chances are I'll never see that guy again anyway.'_ She nodded to herself and rounded the door frame, her eyes searching for an empty seat in the full room, with other students standing and chattering about.

"Why, hello there," a voice mused to her right, and a rich scent of wood and lavender wafted over from the man who tipped his hat. "Are you new around here? You must be; I would never miss a beauty like you."

The words made Rinoa blush before her mind could even process them. "Thank you," she said politely. "You're right, I'm new. I transferred from Galbadia."

"Galbadia?" the man echoed and the blue of his eyes glistened. "Now if that doesn't sound of home! I was born and raised in Whalley, three hours by car from-"

"-Deling City," Rinoa finished for him, her heart taking a joyful leap. "I heard of that place before. My father's sister occasionally goes there for vacation. She says it's really rural."

He laughed. "She meant 'boring'. A village in the middle of nowhere. Ah, but where are my manners." The man took off his hat and inclined his head, his auburn ponytail sweeping over his shoulder. "The name's Irvine Kinneas. A humble cadet like the rest of the lot. And you are?"

"Rinoa Heartilly." She mimicked his bow, but froze mid-movement when Irvine's fingers suddenly curled around her right hand and pulled her close to his lips to breathe a kiss upon it. Her eyes widened when a thought she always tried to push away crossed her mind. _'Could he be the one-? '_

"Irvie~," a childishly high voice suddenly interjected. Rinoa barely had time to turn her head for a petite brunette to whirl up to them and grab hold of Irvine's arm with a smile like the sun, which then beamed right over at Rinoa. "Who's your friend?"

For some reason, Irvine yelped before he reciprocated the smile. "That, my one and only sweetheart, is Rinoa. She's a transfer student from Galbadia, so we chatted about Galbadian stuff. Rinoa, meet Selphie, my girlfriend."

Rinoa smiled. _'Silly me. I shouldn't worry too much about this. I'll know it when I meet him.'_

The woman called Selphie jutted her chin forward. "Tee-hee. Call me Sefie. Welcome to Balamb! I was a transfer student, too, three years ago. But I come from Trabia. Terribly cold place," she added and shuddered at the mere memory. "Here, we got a beach and sun and smiles all-year-long. You'll have a wonderlicious time here, Rin. Come on, let's squeeze you between Zell and me." Suddenly, the sunny woman held on to Rinoa's arm, and with spirited steps maneuvered her to the third row of study panels.

"R-rin?" the raven haired woman echoed, almost stumbling over her own feet.

Irvine shook his head, although not without a smile. "Sweetheart, you _are_ aware that Rinoa needs her own computer? And what did I tell you about nicknaming new friends?"

Selphie saluted – in a manner Rinoa had never seen before, her right palm covering the corresponding side of her face. "Not until the third lunch!" She giggled. "But where's Rin-oa supposed to sit, then? Apart from us?" The brunette shook her head and crossed her forearms. "Nah-uh."

Irvine played with the rim of his hat, his half-gloved fingers dancing over the material. "If we ask Nida to move to the row behind us, Rinoa could sit next to me. O-or," he added when Selphie slanted her head, "we ask Milla to give up the seat next to Zell."

Selphie sighed. "Poor Milla. She likes Zell so~ much, but he's a dense doofus."

"Erm," Rinoa spoke up reluctantly, "I'm really honored you want me to sit with you, but I don't want to disrupt any arrangements." Yet the couple just waved her away and, without allowing Rinoa to intervene, began to bargain with the people around them. Two minutes later, Rinoa found herself next to Selphie, the seat to her left empty and waiting for said Zell. The clock's arms moved inevitably closer to the full hour, and Rinoa leaned over to Selphie. "Is your friend alright? The instructor will come soon."

Irvine, who overheard her comment, chuckled. "I'd be worried if he _were_ here already. Ah, look, Xu comes. Behold the prettiest instructor in the entire Garden, Rinoa." He apparently planned on saying something else, too, but his face suddenly contorted and he merely coughed.

Certainly, the woman who had just entered and now took her place behind the broad front desk was pretty. Her hair shone in a rich brown as it brushed against her jaw, her face was sharp and yet curved, and her body appeared toned and tight beneath the Garden's uniform. For the fifth time that morning, Rinoa tugged at her civilian clothing nervously, but only one or two of her classmates wore the cadet uniform, so she did not particularly stand out.

"Rise, cadets." The voice of her new instructor made Rinoa almost jump. It bore a strictness, a harsh edge that had anyone follow her commands without a second thought. "Welcome back, to a new term of learning and training. I hope you thoroughly relaxed over the break. The curriculum is tight and we have no time to lose. With the threat of the sorceress Edea rising, the world expects even more from us, and I, personally, will make sure that you meet their hopes and our standards." Xu's eyes wandered over the cadets and halted at Rinoa, who first stiffened, but then blinked in surprise.

' _Did the instructor just… smile at me?'_ Selphie pulled at her arm, and only then Rinoa realized that she had missed the command to sit, a shortfall she promptly corrected. With her cheeks flushed, she listened to Xu's preface, the term's focal points and last but not least the current political events the SeeDs were involved in, most of which relating to reactions to or preemptive operations for the mad sorceress' schemes.

"It should go without saying that the capture of Edea has highest priority," Xu concluded. "For four hundred years, the SeeDs fought to protect mankind against the sorceresses, and our oath shall not crumble in the face of this new threat, either. You, the cadets, contribute to this mission by training to the best of your abilities." The instructor saluted, and even Rinoa felt the urge to mirror the gesture, but then, Xu dropped her arm and turned to her computer. "With that out of the way-"

Suddenly, the doors slid open and a short blond rushed in, feet firmly planted onto a hoverboard. "Did I make it?!" he asked breathlessly, the tattoo on the left side of his face trembling with his gasps. He looked at the seated cadets for a few seconds before he stiffened and turned his head to his left. "Oh."

Xu walked up to him. "No. You did not. You're late _again_ , Zell. As every term. And as I promised, I will file for detention. A day or two as support to the Faculty might help rid you of your tardiness. I heard they have creative punishments. And I will confiscate this." Xu stretched out her hand and did not budge when Zell whined about how 'dang useful' the item was before he gave up. "If you wish to legalize the usage of hoverboards within Garden grounds, please fill a formal request and gather signs from your peers. The _orderly_ way."

Some of the students snickered, but when Zell glared at them they silenced. The blond stomped over to his seat – only to find Rinoa sitting on it. He blinked. Let his gaze wander over to Selphie, who grinned sheepishly and pointed to the seat next to Rinoa, mouthing something about "new friend" that made Rinoa blush and Zell roll his eyes. He plonked down on his new seat and offered Rinoa one gloved hand. His fingers gripped her wrist tightly enough that she gasped beneath her breath. "Yo. I'm Zell. Your Selph's new friend?"

Rinoa nodded and wanted to reply something, but she swallowed her tongue when Xu said, "With the class being _fully_ present now, I'd like to jump right into the subject matter. We'll start with the focal point of this term, para-magic." Next to Rinoa, Zell groaned; not the only student, yet definitely the loudest of them, but Xu continued as if she had not heard, "Now, who can tell me what para-magic is?"

It took Rinoa a second to realize that, unlike in Galbadia Garden, the students were not called for the answer, but rather had to raise their hands on their own – and she figured that, if she wanted to maintain her grades, she had to pick up her pace to keep up. But another student was faster.

"Yes, Nida."

The man next to Irvine stood for the answer and said, "Para-magic is a term used to define magic as used by regular humans. It's the, uh," he hesitated shortly, "energy used in the process of extracting, storing, and casting spells."

"That is correct." Xu nodded and the student sat down again. "Regular humans – a category which excludes sorceresses – are, by nature, not able to perform magic. But now, we just defined para-magic as something that is _not_ magic. An unsatisfying definition, no?" A tiny smile spread on Xu's lips. "What, then, is magic? Yes, Quistis."

A young woman rose in the first row, her sleek, blonde hair clipped up except for two strands of fringe framing her face. "Magic refers to both the invisible energy flowing through the world as well as the actions performed by using said energy. It can customarily only be performed by either monsters or sorceresses, both of which ostensibly utilize it in a similar fashion, although sorceresses have access to a grander variety of spells than the standard three to four variants a single monster can use. Magic is present in every living organism, the water, the soil and even the air, and researchers argue that, without magic, the ecosystems would collapse and disable life as we know it, raising the importance of magic from a usable energy to a life force." All those words left her mouth without a breath, or so it seemed, and Rinoa had the feeling that the blonde recited from a book.

Xu nodded contently. "An excellent reply. Indeed, magic is present everywhere and in everything. So while only sorceresses and monsters appear to be able to use it naturally, our organisms, too, must have some way of utilizing this energy. Unfortunately, analyzing magic in its pure form – that is to say, without it being cast – proves more than challenging to modern researchers. Now that we re-established what magic is, who can tell me in which way para-magic differs from magic itself?"

' _That's an easy one.'_ Rinoa prepared to raise her hand despite her first-day-nervousness, but Zell was faster.

"Magic is used by sorceresses and is more powerful. Para-magic is used by regular humans." The blond grinned, obviously pleased that even he knew the answer, and Rinoa low-key pouted at him for beating her to it.

Yet Xu shook her head and motioned for Zell to sit. "Not quite, I am afraid. It seems to be an easy answer to an easy question, but your reply was merely the lexical distinction between the two forms, saying nothing about the quality or nature. Does someone know what I am aiming at?"

Rinoa blinked. She had believed the difference to be so _easy_ , but now that Xu commented upon it, she almost felt ashamed for never considering another, more complex discrepancy. She peeked left and right, but no student moved, all of them wearing the same puzzled expression, and even the blonde prodigy who apparently swallowed books whole did not raise her hand.

Xu wore that little smile in the corners of her lips. "No one? Admittedly, I cannot blame you if the answer appears to be so obvious. Take this as a lesson in always questioning facts, no matter how hard and fast they seem to be. Squall, can you answer this question?"

Rinoa followed the stares of her fellow classmates to the back row. A rush of cold washed over her. _'Him?!'_ It was the man whom she had bumped into earlier, and his face was just as friendly as it had been back then. The scar slashed across his forehead and nose scrunched when he frowned at the instructor, and his mouth was a grim line as he refused to reply.

But then, the man sighed and stood, hands buried in his pockets. His gaze was directed above Xu's head as he, with a monotonous voice, answered, "In order to grasp the fundamental difference between magic and para-magic, one has to first understand the process of extraction and molding employed by sorceresses. Sorceresses can extract magic from other subjects and their direct surroundings without being restricted to the magic's purpose in their previous storage. For example, a sorceress can extract magic from the sea to mold a fire spell – an impossible feat for a regular human, who is bound to the magic's storage qualities and can thus use energy from the sea only to fuel water-affiliated spells. Doctor Odine of Esthar, the inventor of the "junction machine" which enables regular humans to access magic via neural and nervous transmitters, dubbed this _Creative Usage_. Due to the fact that the Hyne lobe, located in the cerebral cortex of the brain and responsible for magic related processes, is much less pronounced in the human species, regular humans are not able to shape magic so profoundly as to alter its intended usage. Even simple molding processes, such as merging the energy of several _fire_ spells into one _fira_ spell, require rigorous training and much concentration. For the same reason, sorceresses and monsters carry a pool of pre-molded energy within them to enable quick usage in dire situations, although they _are_ able to instantaneously alter the energetic properties of the magic around them. The main difference between magic and para-magic, then, is the lack of _Creative Usage_ in the latter."

Rinoa gaped. _'Forget the blonde,_ _he's_ _reciting from a book! How could he spout out all that information without stopping to think for even a second?'_ She was not the only one staring, she realized, but definitely the only one with such an abundance of awe and surprise on her face, and Rinoa hurriedly faced front again before she could embarrass herself even further on her first day.

Xu nodded her head not once, but several times. "Yes, a perfect reply. In the core, cast magic and para-magic are the same: Molded energy released into a spell. But para-magic is _foreign_ molded energy – second hand, if you will," the instructor added with a twitching of the corners of her lips. "While it seems to be a facilitated power, researchers speculate that the casting of para-magic puts more strain on the human mind and body than casting magic does on a sorceresses', due to the fact that we, for one, lack the ability to fully comprehend the power which we wield, and two… Who knows the second reason due to which casting previously molded energy is more difficult?"

' _I know this one,'_ Rinoa thought and raised her arm. Magic related subjects _were_ her specialty, and shyness yields no points – and after Mr. Grumpy had presented such a perfect reply, she did not feel like losing. She rose as soon as Xu called her name. "That is because, when molding a spell the caster infuses a part of their own energy into it. Different people harness different _waves_ of energy." She made a vague gesture with her hand. "When two people's energy waves collide, they crash and disrupt one another. Like the ripples of two stones being thrown into the water. Controlling one's own energy is difficult enough for regular humans, but when dealing with para-magic, the user has to manage someone else's energy. Depending on the compatibility between the two people, this is more or less difficult." She had spoken a bit too fast, she realized with warm cheeks, but with thirty unfamiliar pairs of eyes staring at her it could not be helped.

"Exactly," Xu nodded and relieved Rinoa from her standing position. "Excellent simile. Although the matter has not been fully disclosed by science yet, we can assume that each person has their very own set of energetic properties. In order to correctly utilize para-magic, the understanding of said properties is vital – and will be one of the core trainings in this term's para-magical lessons. For now, let us move to the subject of monsters, which differ from humans and sorceresses in the aspects of…"

In such a manner, class progressed, and Rinoa found it easier within the minute to participate freely. Occasionally, Selphie giggled something to her right towards Irvine or herself, and Zell gave off this certain facial expression which _begged_ for mercy, but Rinoa was not disturbed by either of that. They spent the ten minute breaks with the four of them chatting and laughing, during which she learned much about her new friends: Zell hated para-magic with a passion and his muscles were not just for show. Irvine knew every girl in the Garden by name and wrote the tidiest notes Rinoa had ever seen. Selphie could hack into another student's study panel within three minutes – she proved it by invading Zell's privacy and inspired both laughter and embarrassment – and wore her grin like other people their glasses.

When Xu ended the final antemeridian class and all students rose in a unified bow, Rinoa felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. ' _I will have a wonderful time here.'_ Her brown eyes wandered over the other cadets and a shadow befell them, but she flung it away before anyone could notice, and instead smiled towards Selphie. "Say, could you show me the way to the cafeteria? I know I got a sheet with a layout _somewhere_ ; but maybe-"

"Oh yay!" Selphie chimed. She drew forth Irvine with a twist of her wrist and practically _sung_ , "Irvie~, Rin-oa wants to lunch with us. We gotta score a _big_ table today, and the best food."

"That means hot dogs!" Zell roared, ecstasy glistening in his eyes. "Hell yeah! I'll go ahead, slowpokes!" And with that, he was out of sight, even before Xu could yell after him about improper walking speed and the detention sheet he still had to pick up. Selphie snickered and hooked her free arm under Rinoa's to drag her towards the door as she gabbled about something called the 'Garden Festival', leaving the raven-haired woman little time to actually pack her belongings and shoulder her bag. Irvine politely advised the ladies to hurry so Zell's efforts would not be in vain; the cafeteria was, so he said, a nasty battlefield, and only the bravest souls could hope to hold on to empty seats for too long.

But before they could reach the door and close in on their destination, the instructor's voice called, "Rinoa, could you come here for a bit?" Xu waved with her right hand, the left holding on to a document which she, to Rinoa's absolute annoyance, offered to none other than _Squall_.

With a knot in her gut – for what could she possibly have done wrong in the first three classes that warranted attention from her instructor? - Rinoa disentangled her arm from Selphie's. "Sorry," she mouthed before she walked over to the front desk, pointedly ignoring that Squall's presence all together. "Yes, instructor?"

"I hope you enjoyed your first classes?"

"Huh?" Rinoa made before she could slap a hand over her mouth. She stiffened instantaneously and stuttered, "I mean, er, yes, of course. It was very informative."

Xu chuckled. Up close, Rinoa saw that her instructor's eyes were deep green and a lot softer than the strong voice anchored in her throat. "Please, relax. I just wanted to make sure you can follow up. I once switched Gardens, too, and I know the G-Garden has a rather different way of teaching its students. You participated actively, though, so I wanted to praise you for that."

Rinoa blushed. "Thank you, instructor. Everyone here is really kind, so I'm sure I'll get accustomed to it all quickly." She wanted to say something else, maybe compliment her instructor for the interesting topics and interactive lesson, but a sudden shift in Xu's face had her halt.

Her instructor smiled no longer. She _smirked_. With a casual gesture of the hand still holding on to the sheet she said, "By the way, have you met Squall already? He is one of my top students – if not the best student I ever had."

' _Just great.'_ Unwillingly, Rinoa turned her head, if only to be polite. Squall, however, still stood averse, one hand in the pocket of his trousers, and only a subtle shift from his eyes' focus indicated that he had heard Xu. The smile on Rinoa's face was stiff at best. "I don't think we were ever properly introduced to one another, no."

"No?" Xu echoed. "In that case, let me handle the formalities; Squall, meet our newest transfer student, Rinoa Heartilly. Rinoa, this is Squall Leonhart. Your personal guide for this term."

' _What?!'_

* * *

' _What?!'_

Squall stared. He repeated Xu's words in his mind once, twice, thrice, but they still made no sense to him. His left hand, on the verge of receiving the paper Xu had called him to the front for, froze. Once again, his eyes ran over the female to his right, and he barely suppressed the urge to groan.

He had recognized her the second she set foot into the room, and that alone unnerved him all too much. Luckily, Irvine had taken care of her – _naturally_ – and thus seated her fairly close to the front, sparing Squall the pain of crossing eyes with her. To his dismay, she proved to be a rather active participant in class and thus stood and answered several times, which merely served to drop his mood furthermore. His disposition towards her had only worsened since their first encounter; her mere _existence_ annoyed him. And as her brown eyes – so incredibly round and brown and sickening – blinked at him repeatedly, that impression strengthened.

Thus, his first words were directed at his instructor, _another_ woman who seemed to have taken it upon herself to gall him on this intolerable day. A part of him wished he was still caught in his nightmares. "Excuse me, instructor, but such treatment is not prevalent within the Garden structure. New cadets have been proven to find their way just fine by themselves."

"I know." Xu placed one hand at her cheek and nodded. "Ah, this must be the nostalgia; I know it's not my place as an instructor, but with our shared origin from the Galbadia Garden, I would feel _horrible_ if I did not ease Rinoa's start in her new home at least somewhat." She shook her head, and Squall could _see_ the pretentiousness seep from her pores. "But if there is someone I can ask to do this without fearing for their grades, it's you, Squall."

A vein on his right temple began to throb. "Instructor," he started as calmly as he could, "if it is her acclimatization you are concerned about, I would like to point out that Heartilly appears to have made friends within the student body already." He raised his finger to direct his instructor's gaze towards Irvine and Selphie, who both still waited for that woman with _curious_ expressions, to say the least. He wanted to smash their faces in before that look could settle.

The pest to his right nodded. "Yes, instructor, Irvine and Selphie already offered to take me for a tour and-"

"No," Xu shook her head firmly, "that will not do. If it's not Squall who guides you in this difficult time, I will find no peace." She paused and focused her gaze on Squall, her eyes burning with a sudden intensity and the tone of her voice changing as she 'casually' added, "Besides, you two could prepare for the SeeD exam next term together."

Squall frowned. _'The SeeD exam? What is she going on about – ah,'_ he finally understood with a brief side glance to the nuisance and his features hardened. _'So that's how it is. They made their decision.'_ He knew that he ought to be happy, or at least pleasantly surprised, but all he felt was anger boiling in his stomach, a feeling he suppressed by crossing his arms. It would not get him far, and if Xu's expression was any indication, objection was pointless. _'_ _Fine. I'll take the test.'_ Out loud, he merely said, "Please specify my duties within the framework of this post, instructor." His voice dropped into monotony and he felt how his facial muscles hardened.

Another subtle change in Xu's features which definitely eluded _that_ woman. Accusation. Or disappointment. "I am glad to see you understand, Squall. As for your responsibilities-"

"Uhm," the pest interjected but was outright ignored, rightly so. This was not about her.

"- you will act both as a guide and a tutor to Rinoa. You are to help her in accommodating herself within the premises of Balamb Island-"

His eyebrow twitched. _'Not just the Garden, huh, but the entire continent. Great.'_

"- and provide aid whenever she needs it."

He could not help but growl, " _Whenever_ she needs it?"

But Xu just nodded and turned away from him like he was some unimportant bug. "There, Rinoa. I hope you are aware of the extraordinary chance you are presented with. Do not hesitate to make proper use of it." The way she stressed those words made his blood boil all the more. "Hopefully it facilitates your stay." And with that, the forsaken instructor left the classroom and Squall with the black-haired bother. At least she looked just as unhappy about the arrangement as he did.

Before he had to deal with her expression any further, Squall turned away and looked at the sheet of paper Xu had given him. He groaned mentally. _'Sure. Her course schedule. Fantastic.'_ It was even _more_ fantastic when he realized they shared almost every class, aside from 'Galbadian Civil Law' on Tuesday and 'Advanced Bestiary' on Thursday. _'Why me…'_

But he knew exactly why _he_ , and lest he wanted to get into serious trouble again, Squall had no choice but to swallow his pride and aggravation. Without looking back, he set his feet in motion. "Follow me, Heartilly." A part of him wished she would just ignore his words and follow Irvine and Selphie to the furthest table in the cafeteria, but a quick sequence of steps informed him otherwise and warned him to school his flaming gaze into an indifferent look before she walked beside him.

She took a breath. "So… we meet again." A pause, during which she most likely peeked at his face, but Squall kept his eyes focused ahead. "How about we try a fresh start instead, then?" She leaned forward, her obnoxious face disrupting his view, and sported what she probably believed to be a friendly smile. "I'm Rinoa. And, apparently, in your care, Squall. So, let's get along, mh?" She stretched out her hand towards his gloved ones.

He did not even pretend to care. His eyes shifted from her as soon as he redirected the course of his feet to accommodate for the blockage.

The pest huffed. How childish. Her action cost her several seconds as she stood rather dumbfoundedly to stare after him. Then, she picked up her feet until she caught up. "Your answer during the first class was really something. Do you like studying?" He chose silence as an answer once again and her strained smile wavered. "But honestly, this Garden is really different from home. Ah, of course, _this_ is my home now," she corrected herself with a shake of her head. "In G-Garden, we had to wear our uniforms at all times, can you imagine? Definitely a win here. But the Faculty here seems a lot more strict; this morning, before I went to the library, I-"

"Do you always talk this much?" It had been supposed to be a thought, but Squall found that his grinding teeth could not contain his annoyance any further. At least his facial expression did not change, although he felt like scowling at her. But the memory of Xu's words – and more importantly, her implication – helped him regain his cool. He pointed towards the elevator and the black-haired bother entered.

Beneath her furrowed brows, her brown eyes narrowed at him. Such an ugly color. "Do you always treat people like that?"

' _No,'_ he wanted to answer, _'usually, I don't treat people at all. I ignore them.'_ But there was no way a simpleton like her would understand, so he just shrugged and pressed the button to the first floor. While they descended, he rattled down, "As you without doubt noticed, the second floor harbors the classrooms. The third floor contains the headmaster's office as well as the ballroom, used for special occasions. You may not enter the third floor without the headmaster's permission or invitation. Doing otherwise will lead to troublesome consequences. Expulsion, in the worst case."

"Question!" Her voice was so sudden that Squall winced. He glared down on her, at least ten centimeters smaller than him. But she did not seem to recognize the antipathy. "What's the headmaster's name?"

"Cid Kramer."

She squinted at him and mumbled something about 'short-spoken'.

 _Ping._ The doors opened and he stepped out, the pest on his heels, and pointed at the computer below a short flight of stairs. "The first floor. I'll illustrate the corridors by the directory there."

"Eh?" the black-haired bother made and threw him a glance as they walked up to the device. "You won't show me around?"

' _I can show you the way out, if you like.'_ He sighed, but kept his eyes on the computer. "That would be time-consuming and inefficient. You will most likely refer back to the directory during your first weeks, so acquainting you with this device is the best choice."

' _That, and it will spare me the pain of dealing with you more than necessary.'_

The pest placed one arm behind herself and held on to her elbow. "If you say so. You're the guide." She took a step closer and leaned over the illuminated screen. "Go ahead. I'm all ears."

"All paths within Balamb Garden are color coded. Try and remember the colors and their respective facility as soon as possible; even without memorizing the layout, you can track your desired trail that way." He waited until she hummed a reply before he continued, "There are four blocks within the Garden, each named after a cardinal direction. West and East are furthermore divided into three sub-parts."

Why did he even bother? That woman just had to take one look at the directory in front of her eyes to understand the layout; the font was gigantic and the colors all included. And yet, Squall explained one corridor after the next – and regretted it. For the black-haired bother (the name started to grow on him) had a question for _every_ facility. Either that or a completely unnecessary comment.

Library? "What kind of books are there, except for study related ones?"

"Can't say. Ask the staff."

Training center? "Where do you get the monsters from, being on a secluded island and all?"

"We breed them in the cellar laboratories. Some compartments contain specific breeds with added vigor and vitality. You need a special pass to enter those."

"And where-"

"Moving on…"

Dorms? "Oh, yes, I rented a room as well."

' _You don't say.'_

Cafeteria? "Anything you would recommend?"

"Stay away from the hot dogs."

"Are they bad?"

"Not particularly." _'You just might be beaten into a pulp, and Xu won't forgive me for that.'_

Infirmary? "Who's the head of the department?"

"Dr. Kadowaki. Also leading para-magician of the RMO forces of all Gardens."

The only time _he_ asked a question was related to the parking lot, for she had been awfully quiet after its explanation. And even then, he made it sound more like a statement. "You can drive a car?"

She fidgeted. "Seeing as SeeDs need to drive from time to time, I took lessons."

' _That is to say, she can't. Great. Here's to hoping I don't end up on a mission with her.'_ But with Xu and her rather unorthodox – and annoying – method of teaching, he somehow doubted his luck.

He felt like applauding himself for his endurance when he finally took a step back and sighed, "That's about it. Any questions?"

The pest weighed her head. "I… don't think so. My sense of direction is not the best, but with the directory, I should be fine. Thanks, Squall. You explained it all very thoroughly." She sent a smile after those words.

' _Don't thank me. I'm not doing this because I want to.'_ To underline the point of his thoughts, Squall turned away from her. "Is that everything you need for now?"

He _felt_ her eyes burn holes into the back of his head. Those deep brown eyes which maddened him. "Well, technically yes, but it's time for lunch, so- hey!"

"After my explanations, you should be able to find your way to the cafeteria on your own, Heartilly." Squall did not look back at her and let her voice be drowned out by the noise in his head. His stomach grumbled, but he knew that for today, light snacks from the dormitory had to make do.

* * *

"Hey!" Rinoa withstood the urge to stomp with her foot. Her guide just left her standing there, by the directory, like unwanted weight. She pursed her lips and glowered after his disappearing figure. Idiot. _'Well, just means I won't have to spend time with him.'_ She liked that idea.

At least the stoic brunet had been right – she _did_ find her way to the cafeteria, by that point filled to the brim with cadets of all ages. The youngest were twelve, still children whom even _she_ towered above, and the oldest in their late twenties. By the age of thirty, a cadet must have passed all exams and thus turned into a fully fledged SeeD who retained permission to stay indefinitely; elsewise, they had to leave the Garden. Rinoa could tell by the look on their faces whether one of the older students was close to that line. They sported furrowed brows, glowering eyes, thin lips and this physical uneasiness vibrating off them.

' _Just like Squall.'_ Rinoa stopped in her tracks and placed one finger on her chin. _'Is that why he's so obnoxious? He d_ _oes_ _not look_ _that_ _old to me, though.'_ Then again, the messy hair covering most of his eyes made it hard to tell, and the scar in his face hindered any deductions only further. Rinoa frowned. _'I wonder where he got that scar from.'_

"Ri~n!" Selphie grabbed her arm before the noirette could even look up. "There you are! Come on now, quick, quick, we gotta score you some food before Irvie can't protect your seat any longer." She maneuvered Rinoa over to the counters and rushed her through the different sections. Rinoa actually had to put effort into preventing Selphie from just filling her tray with random – and sometimes outright _suspicious –_ food combinations, until she left with an acceptable mixture of a sandwich and a strawberry shortcake. The latter one cost her a couple of extra gil, for anything aside from the daily menu was not covered in Garden tuition.

' _Completely different from Galbadia Garden,'_ Rinoa judged as she let Selphie guide her to the table. _'The tuition fees are outrageous and still do not include meals. Just underlines how the Garden is deeply connected to the state.'_ She was disrupted from her thoughts by cold metal pressing against the bare hollows of her knees.

"There~!" Selphie chimed and plonked down to her right. "Now we can begin the feast! As a celebration for Rin becoming our friend!"

"Rin _oa,_ " Irvine corrected before he chuckled. "And you may say that, but someone" - he disentangled his fork from the spaghetti and gestured towards a drowsy Zell - "finished up already."

"Oh, Zellie," Selphie giggled and planted her spoon into woodruff jelly, beneath which Rinoa _imagined_ to spot codfish, but that was _impossible_. "I told you to wait."

Zell opened his mouth to retort, possibly, but only a hearty belch left his lips and he coughed in the direction of his plate, generously sprinkled with leftover sauce.

"How deplorable." The voice belonged to the blonde book-swallower from their class, sitting directly opposite to Rinoa at the round table. As their eyes met, the woman nodded at her. "I believe we have not yet been introduced? My name is Quistis Trepe, student number 41492. Your knowledge in the para-magical field was quite remarkable in the first classes, I shall congratulate you."

"Thanks," Rinoa replied, a bit taken off-guard. She had not intended on leaving a lasting impression, but that being said, it was not a bad thing to be remembered for. "I guess you can say para-magic is my forte. I'm Rinoa Heartilly, but I don't know my number by heart just yet," she admitted sheepishly.

Quistis raised a fine eyebrow. "I see." She averted her attention from Rinoa back to Zell and chided, "Seriously, what kind of impression do you intend to give the transfer student? She must believe Balamb students are lacking in discipline."

Zell leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, and replied something which got lost in another burp. Quistis' mouth tightened into a line, but the other students laughed, Zell the loudest amongst them, and Rinoa was pulled along, her food getting caught in her throat and resulting in a series of hasty coughs, remedied by a quick glass of water Irvine handed her for which she thanked him hoarsely.

The man smirked. "Don't overdo it. If you suffocated, Xu might blame poor Squall, and we can't have our honor student deal with _that_."

"What does Squall have to do with this?" Quistis inquired, dutifully arranging the mixed salad on her fork before ingesting it.

"Oh, you missed that because you left first, right? Our Rinoa here has the honor of calling Squall her guide _and_ tutor."

Quistis' hand and fork stopped midway. Her eyes jumped from Irvine's smug face to Rinoa's, stuffed with sandwich bites and some rebellious mayonnaise in the corners of her mouth. The blonde set her cutlery down, wiped her lips with a napkin and turned her body towards the noirette before she asked, "Would you care to explain this to me, Rinoa?"

"There's not really much to explain," Rinoa replied with a shrug, trying to swallow her food as discreetly as possible without incurring Quistis' disapproval. "Instructor Xu said she was worried about me managing in the new surroundings, so she appointed Squall as my guide."

The following pause weighed so heavily, even Selphie peered up from the codfish which had been, after all, covered and drenched in jelly. Rinoa tried to withstand the urge to squirm beneath the scrutinizing gaze of Quistis' bright blue eyes, and for some reason her guts tied into a knot as the blonde's expression changed ever so subtly before she replied, "How very… unusual. It is not like instructor Xu to dissipate her student's time."

Rinoa frowned. "I did not _ask_ for it, if that's what you're thinking." She felt judged by the woman sitting across from her, and was suddenly quite grateful for the barrier created by the others.

Quistis raised her eyebrows. "I never indicated such a statement. Instructor Xu would not agree to something like that if a random student requested it, and neither would Squall." She paused, albeit briefly, and folded her arms in front of her chest, clad in the Garden uniform which, among all the civil-wearing students, made her stand out despite the location. "You must be quite an important persona to receive such treatment from the Garden. But the name 'Heartilly' does not ring any bells on my end." Quistis slanted her head and closed her eyes as if to remember.

Rinoa drew her eyebrows together. _'What is her point? Why is it even important? The instructor seems like a nice person, she was probably just genuinely concerned about me. Is that such a weird thing to happen?'_

"Oh well." Quistis finally rose from her seat and rearranged the items on her tray before lifting it up. "I shall place confidence in instructor Xu's judgment. Please be considerate in your utilization of this special arrangement. Squall's time and talent is exceptionally precious and must not be wasted." She nodded at Rinoa and the others as a means of farewell and departed, either not knowing of or not caring for Rinoa's indignation.

The raven-haired woman glared after Quistis. She blew a rebellious strand of hair from her vision and growled, " _Honestly_?! Me, wasting that guy's time? It's not like I wanted him as a guide, he's – urgh," she interrupted herself with a shake of her head and an angry assault to her cake. "Who does she think she is?"

"Now, now," Irvine intervened and raised his hands in an appeasing fashion, "calm down, Rinoa. Let me apologize on Quistis' behalf, it's just-"

"That's just how she is," Zell interrupted, finally all burps and belches cleared from his system. Still, he rubbed his stomach for good measure, giving Rinoa and her appalled expression a shrug. "She's hard to deal with at first, but she is dependable. A genius. She might become the youngest SeeD ever."

Rinoa's ears perked up at that, and curiosity replaced her ire. "Youngest SeeD? What, is she not our age?"

Zell shook his head. "Quistis will turn eighteen in October. She got a special recommendation from an instructor. If she passes the SeeD exam in spring, she'll be a legend."

"A special recommendation to take the exam at _eighteen_?!" Rinoa echoed and forgot about her dessert.

She had heard of such cases, in the way that one heard of angels falling from the heavens to deliver babes to their mother's breasts. Everyone knew someone who knew of someone who heard of a cadet that once had a friend who got a recommendation, but you did not _actually_ know one, did not share the same class with someone who had the talent, the guts and an instructor's abysmal trust to take on this life or death mission called an exam that early. There was a reason the age qualification was nineteen. And even then, the percentage of students who actually underwent the exam at that earliest stage was low.

When the others simply nodded and Selphie hummed a victory tune, Rinoa's mouth fell slightly open and she looked after the blonde now exiting the cafeteria with a mixture of awe and disbelief. "… Do you think she can make it?"

The shadow crossing her friend's eyes was proof enough that she had asked a question better not asked. Selphie's spoon hovered midair a second before continuing on its way, Zell ceased the whipping on his chair and Irvine inspected his fingernails without seeing anything. Finally, he looked up with a start and smiled a false smile. "Of course. Zell just said it, Quistis is a genius. Her abilities are on par with Squall's."

" _Exactly_ ," Zell endorsed with a nod just a tad too fast.

Selphie triumphantly swung her cutlery in the air and sprayed codfish and jelly on all bystanders. "The best!"

Rinoa mimicked their smiles and confidence, banning her thoughts from her face until the others stood to put away their trays. In that instance, the corners of her lips dropped and she mumbled to herself, "But even that Squall is not a SeeD yet."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** Hey! I am not dead, yay. I can't even begin to apologize for this late update. University and real life are a thing, sadly enough. But hey, let's not whine but rejoice that I actually found the time to write and proofread. Finally some Squall and Rinoa interaction, right? There will be more in the following chapters, but good things come for those who wait. The first chapters will be a bit slow in pace to built up the characters' relationships and plotlines, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Thank you to everyone who reads this. You are inspiring and I feast upon your feedback.

As always, I thank my beloved NagareboshiStar for betareading and brainstorming. She is my muse.

Until the next update~

-Ruska


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